We could say that the Buddha was teaching us to breath again. It’s said that the prince Siddhartha was sitting under a Bodhi tree, practicing the anapanasati (the mindfulness of breathing) when he gained enlightenment and became awake, a Buddha. He was aware of the whole experience of breathing. Through breathing he trained the mind to be sensitive to the body, rapture, pleasure, the mind, mental processes, impermanence, dispassion, cessation, relinquishment. And while breathing he learned to release the mind from suffering. In this session we explore turning towards experience with breathing.
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Transforming the poisons.
Recorded :
October 4, 2015 Buddha points out the three main ways we get pulled into activity and self-contraction – Greed, Hatred and Delusion – which Martin often translates as Desire, Defense and Distraction. This class explores creative ways of meeting these forces in everyday life, and explores powerful reflections for each of the three.
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Ulla Koenig – Week of June 17, 2024
This week’s theme is “Preparing the Heart and Mind”. In Buddhist practice we often hear we should let go. And often enough we would really like to let go of those thoughts, impulses, moods and contractions which keep us agitated and in unease. But letting go is rarely something we decide to do; and neither is holding on. In the upcoming week we will explore why the heart-mind holds on to something and how we can prepare, nourish and soothe it, so that letting go becomes a natural process, not a willful command.
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Emptied Inside Out
Recorded :
May 26, 2019 Vimalasara takes a look at some of the teachings that point to the insanity in life. Join her in taking a look at form, feelings, perception, mental formation and consciousness, and discovering every day that we can be reminded of the meaninglessness of these mental constructions.
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Zohar Lavie – Week of July 17, 2023
This week’s topic is “Deepening and Developing Unconditional Friendliness”. Metta, translated as unconditional friendliness, is a powerful and transformative attitude. When we relate to ourselves, others and experience with metta, reactivity and ill being dissolve and wisdom and wellbeing grow. During this week of practice we will deepen the practice and application of metta, as well as the understanding of how it impacts experience.
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How We Grow Through What We Go Through
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January 29, 2023 How can we, and our communities, not just survive but thrive during challenging, post-traumatic times? Spirituality, positive psychology, anthropology, neuroscience, mindfulness and more have boosted human resilience in the face of adversity for generations. Through this session will explore meditation practices that can help us to transform challenges into creative opportunities for growth.
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Impermanence
Recorded :
October 6, 2024 Anicca, usually translated as “Impermanence” or “Inconstancy,” is one of the three characteristics of all worldly experience. It’s the one of those characteristics we can usually get some understanding of right away. But the deeper implications of anicca are quite profound and that’s what we will explore together.
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Imagination: An Integral Aspect of Liberating the Heart
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May 21, 2023 Our heart/mind is naturally creative; it foresees, remembers, dreams, and perceives. The products of our imagination shape our intentions, expanding the realm of possibilities beyond what we’ve learned, seen, or experienced thus far. We can give ourselves permission to imagine and co-create our lives. And once this is cultivated and the doors of perception are…
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Miles Kessler – Week of October 30, 2023
This week’s topic is “Meditation In A Time Of Crisis”. As the world spirals into yet another all too frequent crisis, we are once again confronted with our basic human fragility. At times like these, it is not uncommon to be overcome by insecurity, anxiety, and fear with the recognition of your own human vulnerability. Now more than ever, it’s helpful to rely on your Dharma practice as a refuge. Not as a practice of liberation that gives you refuge FROM the world, but rather as one that gives you refuge IN the world. Join Miles in this week of Meditation In A Time Of Crisis and cultivate your greatest spiritual resource.
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